Center-pivot-gun carriage



K. VULLER.

CENTER PIVOT GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1.191s.

Patnted Dec. 6, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- INVENTUFK Z12 I K. VULLER.

CENTER PIVOT GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1. 1915.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENEJR fizwm/ m-rm RN EY nsrrs eras j WAABEN- UND MASCHINENFABRIK, A- CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

OF D'U'SSELDORF-DERENDORF, GERMANY,; I

GENTER-PIVOT-GUN CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patnted Dec, 6, Application filed July 7,

1915. Serial No. 38,431.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT 013 MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313i) ToaZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, KARL ViiLLER', engineer,a subject of the German Emperor, re-

siding at Dusseldorf, l2, Scharnhoststrasse, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center-Pivot-Gun Carriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as Will en able others skilled in the art to which it ap- V pertains to make and use the same.

The modern guns used principally against aeroplanes and air ships and ,OOIlSlStlIig of a gun carriage carrying a center pivot gun,

which as a rule can be turned down, are

worked from a platform formed by the horizontal part, of the carriage carrying the standard and by side plates hinged to the sides'of the carriage and adapted to. be turned down. This platform considerably increases the weight of the gun; moreover it must be relatively broad, the side plates being limited in breadth in order not to unduly increase the breadth of the carriage when they are turned up. Below the side plates struts provided with spikes are hinged to the platform,'said struts being adapted to be folded up also.

- plates as well as the struts form heavy enfee cumbrances while the carriage is moving along.

The present invention does away with these high superstructures in order to diminish the total weight of the gun, the time required to make the gun ready for firing and to render its working easier.

To this end the gun carriage is made only slightly broader than the base of the gun standard; the side plates are dispensed with entirely and the gun carriage is made so low that the gun can be worked from the ground and a very low firing level obtained. The side struts provided with spikes are not hinged to horizontal bolts in order to be turned upward, but they are adapted to be turned around vertically disposed bolts or else are pulled out of the carriage in a lon= gitudinal direction and as arranged are free of links which might be caused to bend in under the influence of the tilting motion imparted to the gun after firing. This latter a gement is t e ar im orter? tor the The side reason that it does not require any locking of the-struts in the firing position, in contradistinction of the old struts hinged to horizontal bolts Where the carriage will bend in sidewise if the gun is fired without. the hinges having been locked before.

. Inthe drawings accompanying the specification the preferred form'of a gun carriage according to my invention is shown.

Figurel is an elevati0n,-and

r Fig. 2 is a plan view of an aeroplane gun adapted to be, turned over and mounted. on a platform provided with struts as de scribed. f

Figs. 3- and 4 are details. 7 p

Upon the carriage a which has its hori Zontal part arranged close to the ground, the standard I) is mounted in usual manner, permitting the gun a to be turned 360 degrees. In the traveling position the gun may be turned over around the pin d in a Well known manner as shown in dotted lines, in

order to carry its weight above the wheel,

the gun standard, and a special platform 7 and side plates linked to it can therefore be dispensed with entirely. V

Side bracing of the carriage is. effected through the instrumentality of pairs of struts g and is arranged on each side of the carriage, such struts being spaced apart at their inner ends and secured to the carriage by vertically disposed pivots 7L and Z, respectively. 7 These struts, which are of approXi-V mately the same length, are connected at their outer ends by means of a vertically disposed bolt 70. At the extreme outer end of each strut g is a spike 6 adapted to be screwed up and down in a well known manner by means of screws 7. The side bracing is so arranged that the spikes e are in alinement and at right-angles to the longitudinal axisofthe" gun carriage. It is to be further noted that these spikes are disposed on a line passing centrally through the gun standard. In this way provision is made for effecting proper support in every position of the central pivoted gun, no matter in which direction the latter may be turned;

I the e i g was??? the tim a 25 I the old i arrangement, especially in'thos'e arefolded against the carriage.

can be effected by either pullingout the bolts" Z, foldin the strut 11 against the strut gby turning it around bolt 7:1 and then ;t'olding them together with the spikes against the side of the carriage by turning them around bolt It; or else the bolts 7.: may be removed i and then first the strut i and then strut g In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the struts carrying the spikesconsist of telescoping tubes adapted tobe simply pulled out sidewise. V i 1 It is clear that owing to the arrangements described there is no need for locking the struts in; the position of firing, as there is no danger of their bending in or being shoved together, when the gun is fired, as would happen with struts hinged tohorizontal pins. The new arrangement further offers the'advantage of diminishing the-time required for making the gun're'ady-fo'r firing it is no more necessary toturn down the platform side plates and the struts, as-in cases where the gun is to be trained sidewise. VViith the present arrangement it is possible also to fire the gun without laying out the struts; this is very useful in urgent cases. a r

I claim r V 1. In combination with a gun carriage, a

center pivot gun, and a standard therefor,

braces arranged at the sides of said carriage 7 comprising horizontally collapsible struts having at their outer ends a spike, thesouter ends of said braces when'extended being in alinement' with each other and-wvith a line drawn through said standard at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said gun carriage.

2. In a center pivot gun'carriage, in combination, foldable braces arranged on the sides ofsaidcarriage, each brace comprising a strut pivoted to said carriage and having at its outer end a spike,,anda second strut pivotally connected to said first mentioned strut at a point adjacent said spike and also to said carriage. 7

In av center-pivot gun" carriage, in combination, foldable braces arranged to be folded horizontally on the sides; of said carriage each comprising two spaced apart struts pivotally secured to said carriage, and detachably connected at their outer ends, one of'said struts having a spike mounted at its extreme outer end, the outer ends of said braces when in extended position being in alinement and disposed at right angles to the long tudinal axis of said gun carriage. In testimony whereof, I have signed'this specification .11 the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KARL voLLER. [Ls] \Vitnesses HELEN- Norm,

ALBERT ,NUFER. 

